From Okinawa to Hue, one Marine’s three-decade career

“Here I am, 18 years old seeing my buddies all around me die on that island — men I had trained with for over a year,” said retired Marine Sgt. Maj. George Meyer. “You never quite get over seeing them getting killed by the enemy.”

“Here I am, 18 years old seeing my buddies all around me die on that island — men I had trained with for over a year,” said retired Marine Sgt. Maj. George Meyer. “You never quite get over seeing them getting killed by the enemy.”

A 17-year-old Meyer joined the Marine Corps because he wanted to be better than his two brothers who had joined the Army, he said. Over the course of his three-decade career Meyer would see combat in World War II, Korea and Vietnam — and the memories haven’t faded to this day.

“The Japanese Kamikaze planes only had enough gas to get to our position off the shores of Okinawa,” said Meyer who served with the 5th Marines in the Pacific. “They knew when they left Japan they wouldn’t come back. They were dive-bombing our ships. We kept getting hit over and over.”

On Easter Sunday, which fell on April 1, 1945, Meyer and thousands of other Marines disembarked their ships and were transported to the shores of Okinawa where an 82-day battle ensued.

“We figured we’d have a better chance fighting them on land then taking down one plane at a time,” Meyer said. “At the time, I’d never heard of Okinawa. All we were told is that we were going to take an island.”

Meyer described underground hospitals and command posts constructed by the Japanese that spanned the entire island.

“You had to get (the Japanese) out with hand grenades, satchel charges and flame throwers,” Meyer said. “As far as I know it was the largest contingency of Japanese forces throughout the wars. They had so many there.”

After the battle of Okinawa Meyer was transferred to Guam where he was able to get a shower and eat hot meals.

“We were asleep on Guam after doing some training,” Meyer said. “That’s when they dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war was over.”

Years later while Meyer was stationed at Quantico, the war in Korea began.

“I left Quantico on July 27, 1950, on a train to California in order to be deployed to Korea,” Meyer said. “By August I was fighting and after a short time at Seoul I got wounded. I took bullets in my arm. ... I was very thankful when I was wounded that it wasn’t more serious than it was. I was very thankful I didn’t die. And as the years went on, I was thankful I was able to continue being a Marine.”

During his tenure in Korea he would fight not only at Seoul but at the Inchon landing and the battle for Pusan. Before he knew it the Korean War was over, he said.

A few years later and a few duty stations behind him, Meyer would eventually head to Vietnam.

Page 2 of 2 - “Before it could even hit me, 1967 came around and by Christmas I was in Vietnam as a first sergeant,” Meyer said. “I was 47 years old in Vietnam. I had come a long way since I was 17 during World War II.”

Meyers not only participated in the battle for Hue City during Vietnam but also in Operation Houston and Operation Meade River.

“My experience in combat gave me the great advantage of serving with the best Marines the Corps had to offer,” Meyer said. “The young Marines were so damn good no matter where we went or what we did.

“And I will always remember the ones who were killed. You never forget them.”

The Daily News is looking for World War II veterans who would like to share their story. If you or someone you know served in World War II, contact Military Reporter Thomas Brennan at 910-219-8453 or thomas.brennan@jdnews.com . Follow him on Twitter @ thomasjbrennan.